The Fruit Garden in Autumn

What to do in the fruit garden in November

Check on the condition of fruit cages and renew or mend
any damaged side netting. Finish pruning and tying in cane fruits (except
autumn raspberries).

Peach and almond trees infected with peach leaf curl
should be sprayed with a copper spray as soon as the leaves have fallen. This
is in addition to the February spray.

Newly arrived tree, bush and cane fruits should be planted
in their permanent positions or, if this is not possible, heeled in until it
is.

Apples and Pears

Pick and store any remaining fruits of apples and pears
before they are blown down or otherwise damaged. Check any stored apples and
pears and remove any that are showing signs of deteriorating or ripening.
Apples and pears that were summer pruned should be looked at and, if there has
been any growth from the pruned shoots, this should be cut back to the point of
origin.

Strawberries

Tidy up the plants of perpetual strawberries by removing
any dead leaves and spent fruit stalks. Do not cut them back in the same way as
you would summer varieties.

Pruning Red Currants and Gooseberries

These can be pruned now and are treated in the same way as
bushes growing on a short trunk (leg). They are made up of semi-permanent
branches, which are only cut out when the quality and quantity of their fruit
deteriorates. Basic pruning consists of keeping the bushes open by removing
crossing, crowded, and out-of-place branches.

Pruning Black Currants

These produce their best fruit on shoots younger than
about four years old. Pruning therefore consists mainly of cutting out to the
ground branches that are four and more years old, to make room for younger
ones. Along with these must go branches that are too low, or otherwise clearly
out of place, and those which are causing overcrowding. Diseased and broken
branches must always be removed.

Propagating Gooseberries and Currants

Gooseberries and all types of currants can be propagated
very easily from hardwood (mature) cuttings. Cut off strong, straight and
healthy shoots of this year's growth. The top and bottom of each shoot is cut
back to a bud so that the resulting cuttings are about 25 cm (10 in) long. Red
currants and gooseberries should be on a leg, all buds except the top three or
four are nicked out. Make a v shaped slit in the ground with a spade, and push
the cuttings in at 15 cm (6 in) or so apart, so that the lowest retained bud is
about 13 cm (5 in) above the ground. The cuttings will be ready for digging up
and planting in their final position one year later.